Kevin Curren facts for kids
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Curren in 1982
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| Country (sports) |  South Africa United States (1985-) |
|---|---|
| Residence | Austin, Texas |
| Born | 2 March 1958 Durban, Natal, South Africa |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Turned pro | 1979 |
| Retired | 1993 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $3,055,510 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 339–234 |
| Career titles | 5 |
| Highest ranking | No. 5 (22 July 1985) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | F (1984) |
| French Open | 2R (1992) |
| Wimbledon | F (1985) |
| US Open | 4R (1981, 1990) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Grand Slam Cup | 1R (1990) |
| WCT Finals | SF (1984) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 430–249 |
| Career titles | 26 |
| Highest ranking | No. 3 (3 January 1983) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1981) |
| French Open | QF (1984) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1982, 1983) |
| US Open | W (1982) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Career titles | 3 |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | W (1982) |
| US Open | W (1981, 1982) |
Kevin Melvyn Curren (born 2 March 1958) is a former professional tennis player from South Africa. He was a top player who reached two major singles finals. He also won four Grand Slam doubles titles. In July 1985, he reached his highest singles ranking, becoming world No. 5. During his career, he won 5 singles titles and 26 doubles titles.
Contents
About Kevin Curren
Kevin Curren was born in South Africa. In April 1985, he became a citizen of the United States.
Kevin's Tennis Journey
Kevin Curren played both tennis and cricket when he was at Glenwood High School in Durban. He quickly became a top junior player at the Montclair Lawn Tennis Club. Later, he played tennis for the University of Texas at Austin in the United States. In 1979, he won the NCAA singles title for college players.
He became a professional tennis player in 1979. His first big singles win was in 1981 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Grand Slam Successes
In 1983, Curren reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon. A Grand Slam is one of the four biggest tennis tournaments in the world. He beat the defending champion, Jimmy Connors, in the fourth round. This was a big win because Connors had reached at least the quarterfinals in 27 major tournaments in a row. Curren then lost to an unseeded player, Chris Lewis, in a very close match.
In 1984, Curren played in the final of the Australian Open. He had to come back from being two sets down in his semifinal match to win. In the final, he played against Mats Wilander on the grass courts. Wilander won the match in four sets.
Wimbledon Final in 1985
In 1985, after becoming an American citizen, Curren reached the final at Wimbledon again. He had help from his coach, Tony Roche. On his way to the final, he beat some very famous players. He defeated the world No. 1 player, John McEnroe, in the quarterfinals. Then, he beat world No. 3, Jimmy Connors, in the semifinals. Curren was the first player to beat both McEnroe and Connors in the same Grand Slam event.
McEnroe said that Curren's serve was very fast and hard to read. In the final, Curren played against Boris Becker. He lost the match in four sets. Becker was only 17 years old at the time. This made him the youngest male Grand Slam champion ever. This record was later broken by Michael Chang in 1989. The final match was very intense. Becker even bumped Curren's shoulder during a change-over. After his loss, Curren said he thought more young players would become successful in tennis. He predicted they would have very intense, but shorter, careers. Curren was the last American man to reach the Wimbledon final until Andre Agassi did it in 1992.
Doubles Titles and Retirement
Even though Kevin Curren never won a Grand Slam singles title, he was a champion in doubles. He won four Grand Slam doubles titles. In 1981, he won the US Open mixed doubles. In 1982, he won the Wimbledon mixed doubles. That same year, he also won both men's doubles and mixed doubles at the US Open.
During his career, Curren won five singles titles and 26 doubles titles. His highest ranking was world No. 5 in singles and world No. 3 in doubles. His last singles title was in 1989 in Frankfurt. His final doubles title was in 1992 in Seoul. Kevin Curren retired from professional tennis in 1993.
Since retiring, Curren has been the captain of the South Africa Davis Cup team.
Images for kids
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Curren in 1982
See also
In Spanish: Kevin Curren para niños
